The present invention relates to the use of benzimidazole anthelmintics in the treatment of cryptococcal infection including meningitis in particular in AIDS patients, including individuals exhibiting HIV infection as well as auto-immune deficiency syndrome.
Cryptococcus neoformans is an encapsulated yeast that causes meningitis in AIDS patients. Currently recommended therapy includes amphotericin B+/-flucytosine. Toxicity is high and relapses are common. Benzimidazoles are a large group of drugs used clinically for helminth infections and agriculturally as antifungal agents. There exists a need for additional or better therapies for treatment of Cryptococcus neoformans.